La Silla Observatory

astronomical observatory in Chile

Key facts

Organization: European Southern Observatory
Location: Coquimbo Region , Chile
Altitude: 2,400 m (7,900 ft)
Website: www .ls .eso .org /index .html
Telescopes: ESO 1-m Schmidt telescope BlackGEM ESO 3.6 m Telescope MASCARA MPG/ESO telescope New Technology Telescope Rapid Eye Mount telescope Swedish-ESO Submillimetre Telescope Swiss 1.2-metre Leonhard Euler Telescope TAROT-South robotic observatory TRAPPIST

via Wikipedia infobox

Article

La Silla Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Chile with three telescopes built and operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO). Several other telescopes are also located at the site and are partly maintained by ESO. The observatory is one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and was the first in Chile to be used by ESO.

The La Silla telescopes and instruments are located in the North of the Coquimbo region, 150 km northeast of La Serena, on the outskirts of the Atacama Desert, one of the driest and most remote areas in the world. Like other observatories in this region, La Silla is far from sources of light pollution and, like the Paranal Observatory—home to the Very Large Telescope—it has some of the darkest night skies on Earth.